Military history of Tonga
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The military history of Tonga extends from before European contact, through the 20th-century world wars, to the present day, with Tonga participating in World War I, World War II, and the Afghan war, among other conflicts.
Tonga is an island country in Polynesia, The country is made up of 171 islands of which 45 are inhabited, Tonga was first inhabited about 400 years BC and grew into a regional power. It was a thalassocracy that conquered and controlled unprecedented swathes of the Pacific, including parts of the Solomon Islands and the whole of New Caledonia and Fiji in the west to Samoa and Niue its military history is of expeditionary warfare from the Sea, up to European discovery in 1616 and the bringing of Christianity to the Tonga Islands
World Wars
Tonga participated in World War I, as part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
The Tonga Defence Service (TDS) came into existence at the beginning of World War II in 1939. In 1943, New Zealand helped train two Tongan contingents of two thousand personnel who fought in the Solomon Islands Campaign.[1] In addition, New Zealand and US troops were stationed on Tongatapu, which became a staging point for shipping.
At the end of World War II, the TDS was disbanded, but was re-formed in 1946.[1]
Peacekeeping Operations
Former Prime Minister Prince Lavaka Ata 'Ulukalala (now King Tupou VI) joined the naval arm of the Tonga Defence Service in 1982 and became Lieutenant-Commander of the defence force in 1987. From 1990 to 1995 he commanded the PPB VOEA Pangai and his time in charge included peacekeeping operations in Bougainville.
In 2002, TDS soldiers were deployed as part of a multi-national regional peacekeeping force in the Solomon Islands. In July 2004, a forty-five personnel contingent of the TDS served in the Solomon Islands. A third contingent was sent in July 2005.[1] This contingent consisted of thirty-three TDS troops, and was expected to remain four months.
